Do any Countries in the World still use Steam Locomotives?……are Steam Locomotives still made?
Steam locomotives are in limited use in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. See http://www.trainweb.org/tusp/index.html for reports of sightings, holdouts, and new developments in the 21st Century. There are various tourist lines where engines are in frequent if not daily use and certain engines that see excursion work a few times a year. Germany and England have had fairly extensive steam excursion service since the mid 1980’s. See http://www.germansteam.co.uk/ for English language information on German steam excursions of this century. There are many excellent photos that bring back memories of my years in Germany in the ‘70’s. Mainline steam in regular service ended in 1960 in the United States and Canada, 1968 for Mexico and England, 1972 for France, 1977 in West Germany, and 2005 in China. China has hundreds of steam locomotives
Countries that aren’t as rich/less developed than the US still use steam for major runs, as Diesel’s aren’t as much in their budget. They still use them, however on a much more limited scale. For Diesel usage, the US and Canada lead. However, we still offer steam excursions in many parts of the country. Union Pacific #3985 and UP #844 are very famous for some of the best and most unique passenger travel in the country. There are also narrow gauge steam excursion routes, i.e. the Durango & Silverton RR in Colorado. Even here in Utah we have a standard gauge steam excursion available through the Heber Valley RR.
